Ahhh, one of my favourite
times of the year: Yes, it's that time of year when the Japan Foundation of London put on their annual touring film programme. Another late January,
another spurious theme keeping a collection of Japanese films together to I
will spend a week doing my best to see as many of as possible.
This year the theme is one of
encounters in cinema - those chance meetings of individuals that probably don't
hold much base in reality, but often appear in movies, doing their best to keep
the expectations of the youth of tomorrow massively confused...as Charlie
Brooker's 'How TV Ruined your Life' brainwashed me to believe.
Play on...
Wood Job
Kicking off the theme of ‘it only happens in the
movies’ encounters was ‘Wood Job’, directed by Shinobu Yaguchi, he of
‘Waterboys’ fame, who stuck around for some jet-lagged Q&A. This is a
classic ‘fish out of water’ movie with the young Tokyoite, Yuki, choosing to
spend a year learning forestry because he ‘got wood’ over the girl on the
brochure’s cover. Starting off as a weakling, he soon develops into a
full-fledged ‘mountain man’ under the guidance and constant kicking of Iida.
Having found this new status, he must find his new bride: the girl on the
brochure cover, who it just so happens has a thing for boys from Tokyo who come
to learn forestry.
All of this is atypical coming-of age romance
fodder, that would, of course, never happen in real life. But, like ‘Waterboys’
before it, ‘Wood Job’ is a comedy, not to be taken too seriously. The title is
a clear double entendre, referring to both his new working life and the
various phallic references made throughout, with the unlikely duo of Yuki and
Iida earning laughs from their differences, much like a bad stand-up routine.
But thankfully ‘Wood Job’ has a bit more to it than
creating an unnatural scenario for easy laughs. Yaguchi‘s extensive
interviewing with real woodsmen in small mountain villages leads to quite an
accurate portrait of their work, with the actors tasked with learning the trade
for themselves for added authenticity. Yaguchi also makes use of the naturally
isolated setting of the village for some excellent cinematography in parts, particularly
Yuki and ‘s climbing of trees to collect seeds, leading to some visually
stunning moments.
‘Wood Job’ is a perfect selection for the theme,
being that the scenario is rather unlikely. Though with Yaguchi choosing to add
some touches of authenticity, the film strays from becoming an unbelievable
cliché, forming both an entertaining and cinematic piece.
‘Wood Job’. Good job.
My
Little Sweet Pea
'My Little Sweet Pea', as the title
suggests, is a film that tries to create a huge amount of emotion, but in doing
so ends up leaving the viewer with little real feeling at all.
Mugiko's life is going nowhere fast. Living
with her brother in their family home now their father has died, one day their
mother arrives unexpectedly seeking to move back in. But, having walked out on
them when they were young, both are reluctant, before agreeing that her
addition to their financial security is best all round. But soon, their mother
dies of cancer and Mugiko is tasked with taking her ashes to her home town to
rest.
Upon her arrival, the whole town is amazed
by her resemblance to the local celebrity that was her mother and all flock to
be by her side and force her to sing, as her mother would have. The more she
learns, the closer to her estranged mother she starts to feel, before feeling
strong enough of character to finally enrol in voice acting school.
Immediately, parallels with Tetsuya
Nakashima's 'Memories of Matsuko', where hapless slacker Sho cleans out his
recently deceased aunt's apartment, meeting the colourful characters of her
past as he does.
But 'My Little Sweet Pea' just isn't a
particularly interesting film. Mugiko's developing a relationship with a similarly
estranged mother is too obvious a plot device, with Mugiko using her as an
object for venting her frustrations. Indeed all the characters are a bit too
convenient for the film's aims, pointing us to one conclusion, which by the
time it arrives, you've lost a little interest.
Jinx!!!
If the theme was ‘It only happens in the movies’
then ‘Jinx!’ is a film that is positively self-aware.
Moving from Korea after the death of her boyfriend
in a traffic accident, Ji-ho is an exchange student at a Tokyo University,
where for no initially explained reason she latches on to the quiet and
reserved Kaede and seems determined to do all her broken Japanese can to get
her laid. The object of this forced desire comes in the form of Yusuke, a young
man that Kaede has had a crush on since school. But, with both keen to play to
role of annoyingly awkward virgins, Ji-ho has her work cut out for her.
Ji-ho then turns to the technique that her boyfriend
used to win her heart: the movies. Forcing each to practice the lines from any
old rom-com rubbish you can name separately, her aim is that the hapless pair
will soon become the hopeless romantics of your favourite bad movie, as she
struggles in silence to overcome the death of her love.
Ji-ho is a typical movie character of one that
throws themselves into something in order to forget their past, while Kaede and
Yusuke are a standard unspoken fancying couple that are too awkward to make
anything happen. Indeed, it’s probably how both let Ji-ho distract them with
re-enacting scenes from famous movies that sees the relationship fail to
develop naturally, with both more focused on rehearsing their lines than
speaking with one another.
The film climaxes with its own attempt at a classic
rom-com scene – though it may be stolen from another film, it’s not like I
watch rom-coms, apart from this one – to bring things full circle, as Ji-ho
comes to terms with her loss. In just under two hours?! Only in the movies,
hey?!
Short Peace
‘Short Peace’ is four short pieces of animation from
a collection of names that you may mention. Introduced by anime expert, Helen
McCarthy, who – possibly cashing in on a topical cinema release – went all ’96
shades of red’ over Katsuhiro Otomo in praise of the Akira director’s contribution.
Released as a five piece in Japan, with a computer game making up the final
20%, the four shorts are directed by the aforementioned Otomo, Hiroaki Ando,
Hajime Katoki and Shuhei Morita, in no particular order.
Starting with Morita’s Oscar-nominated ‘Possessions’
, we see some great animation as a traveller stumbles across a strange house
where the objects within come to live. There is no real story here, but some
creative animation with good visuals and colours make it arguably the strongest
piece.
Otomo's 'Combustible' is equally inventive, taking
cues more from Japanese woodblock paintings more than animation. A scroll roles
across the screen as the story unfolds of a little girl whose love for her fire
fighter neighbour grows as she becomes a women. Being a short, the story
develops a little too fast, but visually this is another good work from an
anime master.
'Gambo': Just plain weird.
'A Farewell to Arms' fills the need in anime to have
something post-apocalyptic. A group of soldiers travel wastelands, though come
across an automated tanks which attacks them, causing endless gunshots in
battle, though the conclusions brings with it comic twist.
Being shorts, little really develops in each story,
though it's an interesting, if not mixed bag of entertainment.
Handsome Suit
'Handsome Suit' is as silly as
the name would suggest. Fat, definitely hideously ugly chef Takuro is a fat and
ugly chef. All his friends know this fact and all the neighbourhood children
are quick to remind him whenever he walks past. His love life is non-existent,
confirmed when his advances on his diner employee are pushed back. So, when an
apologetically handsome man offers him the chance of a suit that will solve all
his ugly problem, he is instantly attracted to his new self, genitalia and all.
In true 'Shallow Hal' style,
Takuro soon learns that looks aren't everything and that you should look at the
thin git within a fat git rather than basing love purely on looks. It's one of
those revelations that's too obvious to be interesting or important a
conclusion to make, as 90% of Hollywood films suggest. The film, therefore,
needs to be a fun ride to get us no steps forward in life.
Luckily 'Handsome Suit' is
silly enough for this. A world where man have to apologise for their
handsomeness, while maintaining a straight face. Comedian Muga Tsukaji takes
the lead, supported by shagging-the-writer Miyuki Oshima of recent 'Fuku-chan
of FukuFuku Flats' fame.
This is a movie only world, of
impossible situations and even more unbelievable silliness. But fun is fun, and
this is a film.
'Let's handsome!'
As a theme, the films selected
support the idea that a lot of encounters that we see in the movies are truly
unbelievable and are unlikely to ever really happen. Largely because we're all
too busy sitting around watching films to meet actual people.
The Touring Film programme now
travels to the rest of the UK, so if you live in Bristol, Belfast, Sheffield,
Birmingham, Dundee, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Kendal or Nottingham, what are you
doing reading this?! You can't read!
